Pakistan's elite loses faith in its own country, bureaucrats flee to foreign havens

As Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir consolidates his power in the so-called hybrid regime, resentment is no longer limited to political opponents and some sections of the society. Even the ruling elite now increasingly losing faith in the country and fleeing abroad reportedly. This is not a stray allegation. It emanates from none other than Pakistan's Defense Minister Khwaja Asif. Remember, he is currently serving his seventh term as a member of parliament. And he has flagged that many top Pakistani bureaucrats have settled in Canada, the US, UK, Europe, with Portugal being the main destination of exodus in the last few years. Crucially, he claims that they prepared to flee abroad during service. He said, I'm quoting now, This raises questions about their commitment to their homeland and their jobs during their tenure, quote-unquote. It's quite a statement. In fact, the veteran politician also alleging that an individual who facilitated permanent residency arrangements in foreign countries had fled after collecting a lot of money from influential bureaucrats. However, he did not provide details or identify anyone involved. In August last year as well, Asif had stirred a row, remember, after alleging that more than 50% of the bureaucrats had purchased real estate in Portugal. using black money allegedly. Additionally, he accused them of transferring billions of dollars to Portugal and seeking citizenship allegedly as part of a discreet escape plan. Now, this alleged exodus also coming, remember, at a time when Islamabad has been struggling on various fronts, the economic, security, political fronts. Here's a look at these reports from Pakistan. Amid Munir's farcical attempt to project his country as a military power peacemaker, the country has been gripped by a number of crises. For instance, Pakistan revised its GDP growth downward to 3.65% for the fiscal year 2026. And this correction is extremely significant. It came after its economic growth nosedived to 2% in the April to June quarter, as compared to 4.4% in the previous quarter. The debt-trapped country is still awaiting the approval of a US$1.2 billion loan from the IMF's executive board. Also, its short-term inflation rose by 11.38% last week, driven by an increase in prices of 23 essential commodities, including wheat flour, chicken, eggs. That's not all. According to the World Bank, Pakistan alone accounting for 48 percent of the people earning less than three U.S. dollars per day, 48 percent of the people earning less than three U.S. dollars per day in the region comprising West Asia, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan. It attributed the rising poverty, in fact, to high inflation, currency depreciation, weakened household incomes and less job opportunities as well. As far as internal security is concerned, Pakistan has been in shambles. Remember, there have been multiple attacks on Pakistan's security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. It's a crisis that they have not been able to contain. This year, there have been over 1,200 such incidents across Pakistan, in which 738 civilians and nearly 1,100 security personnel have been killed. Even as the ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan has been incarcerated since August 2023, Muni's brutal crackdown on his party. The PTI continues after the party decided to embark on a long march towards Islamabad, seeking Khan's release. The government, remember, dismissed the PTI-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 11 and imposed an emergency and governor's rule in the province. The government attributed this decision to rising attacks and failure of the provincial government to control the issue. However, critics questioned why similar action was not taken in Balochistan, where the security situation is even worse. Since October 11, former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Sohail Afridi remains missing reportedly after being detained and taken to an unknown location. In the wake of these factors, Khawaja Asif's allegations raising a crucial question. Are those in power prepared to live with the consequences of the crises or are some preparing an escape route? To stay up to speed with the latest news, download the WeOn app and subscribe to our YouTube channel.